Charles Fischer

Yeah! This could be a GREAT team!

The experienced players on defense who are playing are key to me versus the Flames. While we lose both starting corners--I believe Nico Reed and Donte Manning can do well enough, as the front seven will determine this matchup for us on slowing down the high scoring Liberty offense. Having Dorlus play is HUGE, and most likely Burch as well will make a big difference. Mase Funa has been through all the wars, and he is excellent at setting the edge, of which will be needed in this game. I cannot overstate the importance of having experienced linebackers in Bassa, Hill and Jacobs instead of some rookie linebackers trying to figure things out at game-speed, let alone fight off blocks and stay on assignment. This is a difficult game for the defense, and I am very curious to see what the brain-trust of Lanning, Lupoi and Hampton have come up with.

EUGENE, Ore. — A second-straight 20-point performance from Oregon freshman Jackson Shelstad helped the Ducks hold off numerous comeback attempts by UCLA, beating the Bruins 64-59 on Saturday afternoon. Shelstad became the first UO freshman with consecutive 20-point games since Bol Bol in 2018-19. With the team struggling to find a rhythm on offense, success on the defensive end proved to be vital. The Oregon perimeter defense put on an impressive display, holding UCLA to just 15.8 (3-for-19) shooting from behind the arc and racking up 12 steals on the night. How It Happened: After Kwame Evans Jr. scored the first bucket of the afternoon thanks to a slick assist from Jermaine Couisnard, UCLA gained control of the game and built an 11-7 lead as the game approached the second media timeout. Oregon fought back to regain the lead with a 9-2 scoring run across the next two minutes thanks to balanced scoring and good efforts on the defensive glass. The Bruins used their presence inside to prevent the lead from growing, keeping the Ducks within four in a tightly-contested half. A pull-up jumper from UCLA's Sebastian Mack as the clock expired cut the Oregon lead down to 33-31 as the teams broke for halftime. The Bruins came out of the gates hot in the second half, scoring 11 of the first 15 points of the period to reclaim the lead and go in front by five. It was then that Oregon caught fire from behind the arc as the Ducks used the deep ball to score their next 12 points, including three-straight triples from Shelstad, generating a 14-2 run to take back the lead bring Matthew Knight Arena alive. Jadrian Tracey capped the run with a tough layup at the rim as the Ducks jumped out to a 51-44 with just over nine minutes to play. UCLA refused to go away once again, scoring the next two buckets out of a timeout that brought it back to a one-possession affair as the under-eight media timeout approached. The teams traded baskets before Oregon took another swing as Shelstad drilled his fourth triple of the night followed immediately by a steal-and-score from Couisnard that pushed the lead to seven in a matter of 15 seconds. With 3:30 remaining, UCLA attempted to control the tempo by stringing together a few stops while feeding the ball inside for tough buckets in the paint, cutting the lead down to one with 32 seconds remaining. Facing a full court press, the Ducks got the ball to Shelstad in open space who connected with fellow freshman Evans Jr. to hammer the nail in the coffin with a posterizing dunk, energizing MKA once again. A stop and a rebound led to two free throws for Shelstad, who sank them both to secure the 64-59 victory for Oregon. Up Next: Oregon kicks off the new year in Seattle as the Ducks travel to play Washington on Thursday, Jan. 4. The game tips off at 6 p.m. PT with broadcast coverage provided by Pac-12 Networks.

And this is why he has a lot to learn...

This is from a 24/7 Sports interview, and since the topic comes up on a regular basis... Q: WHY IS OREGON A PLACE YOU SO CLEARLY WANT TO BE AT? "Oregon gave me an opportunity that no one else gave me to start there. They saw something in me that not necessarily anybody else saw. Beyond that, there was an opportunity at this place to do some things that I thought -- I had everything in front of me as far as accomplishing the goals I want to accomplish. "When you work with an administration like ours, a guy like Rob Mullens, you see the alignment within the university of the things you want to accomplish, all of those things exist at Oregon, innovation. College football is changing so fast and Oregon is willing to be on the cutting edge when it comes to that. "For me, I don't take that lightly and I feel like I have unfinished business here. There's a lot I want to accomplish here. Then, maybe more importantly than any of that, my kids, right? I have lived in eight different states. I'm tired of moving, right? You've got to change, like, license and all that stuff, all the time. It's not fun and probably even less fun for my wife. "So we love Oregon. It's been everything that we wanted. We get to coach great players and be around great people and it makes a lot of sense for us."

I felt the same way...until I watched tape of every Liberty game. We should score a high number of points, but their option offense with great blocking can negate superior defensive talent. Burn clock, shorten the game and possessions... He would agree...

Oh yeah....he can drive too!

So sweet....

The West Linn freshman is someone I thought could come into the lineup and give good relief help this year, and gradually turn into a star. WRONG. This guy hit money shots, just cold-hearted ones the other night against USC; you could not have done it better as a senior, IMHO. He creates turnovers, makes great passes, and is a terrific shooter? He might be the most important recruit for Dana in years.... UCLA today at 1:00 PM on CBS!

Good gosh...when he is pulling? He may take out two or three defenders...whew!

Really?

They must have become friends during a recruiting visit years back...

This is GREAT to see...

I believe we will both run and pass the ball easily against Liberty, but we cannot allow them to have sustained drives (which they can with an option offense) that dramatically shortens the games and gives us few possessions. I would like to see a 17-21 point lead, and then run the ball and close it out. Do not allow them to burn clock, and keep it close.

Trust me Beaver....it's going to get worse!

The Penn State-Ole Miss game just got more interesting. I figured that Penn State would get steamrolled by the Rebel offense, but Jaxton Dart turned an ankle, and the 'Lions are showing great run blocking out of the gate. And this fan is cheering for a Georgia blow-out later today. The Bulldogs are absolutely one of the best teams in the US...

Yep. Arkansas said that last year too.

Another play Liberty likes to do with twin backs, is an Outside Zone with a lead blocker being the other running back. Kind of like going back to the 1970s and what they did with the Wishbone Offense. Oregon ran this a decade ago successfully, and it is a good play. In the example below--had he cut inside near the end of the run--he would have had more yardage.

I think they may have turned into a Platypus, because they showed us in their bowl game that they know how to lay-an-egg!

Another example of how an experienced QB is all the difference in the world. I bet OU wins that game with Dillon Gabriel....